Cork-finishing machine



PATENTED P313116, 19.0.4; T. s. THOMPSON. CORK FINISHING MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED 00'1.31, 1903'.

"4 SHEETS-SHBET 1 INVENTOR .7. J. M/

WITNESSES 1:: means PETERS 00.. Pno'rmnuo" WASHXNGTON. 4:v c.

PATENTED'FEB. 16, 1904.

No. 752,482. ,v

- T. S THOMPSON.

CORK FINISHING MAGHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED 00131. 1903. no man. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' n zgz "rm: uumus man 00.. Pdo-ra-u'mou wAsmnaT cw. 0:0 I v PATENTBD FEB. 16, 1904.

THOMPSON. CORK FINTSHING MACHINE.

'APPLIOATION FILED GOT. BL 1903 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

N0 MODEL.

INVENTOR wrrnesses No.752,4s2. I I PATENTED PEB.16,1904.

" T. s. THOMPSON.

CORK FINISHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED OUT. 31, 1903.

1m MODEL. V 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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UNITED STATES Patented February 16, 1904.

PATENT. OFFICE.

ARMSTRONG CORK COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A

i CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CORK-FINISHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 752,482, dated February 16, 1904.

Application filed October 31, 1903. Serial No. 179,310. (No model.)

To all whom it may cortcer'rt:

Be it known that I, THOMAS S. Tnoivrrson, of

Pittsburg, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, I

' the carrying-wheel and grinders on a larger scale.

' both finishing operations, thus doing away with a large amount of hand-labor and giving My invention relates to the finishing or touching up of the ends of corks, and is designed to provide a machine for carrying out more accurate results.

In the drawings, 2 represents a hopper into which the corks are dumped. At one end of 'the sloping bottom 8 of the hopper is an openendless belt 6, on which they are carried endwise in the same direction at whichthey emerge from the tube. As the. cork is carried forward on the belt it moves between adjustable guides 7 and strikes a fixed stop 8, which forms the farther side wall of an inclined chute 9, down which thecorks roll sidewise. When the cork strikes the fixed stop 8, it is pushed forwardly from the belt into the chute by the blades -10 of a driven wheel on shaft 11. The chute 9 leads downwardly to the periphery of a toothed wheel on carrier 12, which is continuously rotated. This toothed carrier rotates in a in Fig. 1, and the corks roll into the succes sive transverse recesseslon its rim during this rotation. The rim of the wheel may either be narrower than the length of the corks or it may be wider than their length, since I push the corks endwise against a gage before touching their ends. I prefer the wider periphery, as the corks are held in better alinement. After the cork enters one of the pockets it is pushed endwise as the wheelrotates f by engaging the periphery of a spring-pressed wheel 13, whose carrier-stem 14 is mounted in an adjustable bracket 15 and is surrounded by spring 16,'which presses the wheel forwardly until the stop-collar 17 engages the frame 15. I As the cork is carried past the roller it is pushed endwise by the yielding roller until its end strikes the fixed adjustable stop 18. This gage is supported on the adjustable bar 19 so that it may be set according to the length of the cork. After this endwise pushing of the cork the cork is carried on under a curved leaf-spring 20, which frictionally engages the curved surface of the corks with sufficient pressure to prevent their being pushed back endwise and away from the grinding-disk 21. This grinding-disk sets in a plane slightly oblique to the plane of the carrier-wheel, so that in its fast rotation it will engage all parts of the cork end, and touch them up. This grinding-wheel rotates at a high rate of speed, while the carrier turns slowly-say four or five times a minute. After the cork has passed the grinding-wheel 21 its finished end is engaged by the spring-pressed wheel 13, which is similar to the wheel 13 and mounted in the same manner. It is thus pushed endwise against the stop 22 and under the second leafspring holder 23, which holds it while its other end is acted upon by the grinding-disk 24. The grinders both rotate clockwise, looking at Fig. 1. After the second end .of the cork is thus finished the corks drop out of the teeth or recesses on the carrier-wheel and fall into any suitable receptacle.

Each of the grinding-wheels is carried on a vertical plane and counter-clockwise, as shown shaft 25, driven by pulley 26, the shaft being carried in bearings upon a slide 27, which is held within guides of a pivotal plate 28, mounted on the frame. By swinging the plate the angle of the grinder is changed, and it is moved toward or from the carrier by sliding the plate 27. Bolts 29 serve to clamp the parts when adjusted.

Power is applied to the main driving-shaft 30,having a pinion 31, engaging toothed wheel 32 on a counter-shaft 33, carrying a pinion 34, engaging a toothed wheel 35 on the main carrier-shaft 36 for the carrier-wheel. A grooved pulley 37 is mounted on the shaft 30 and is connected by a belt or cord with a pulley 38 on a shaft 39, which carries one of the pulleys for the belt 6. The shaft 39 has a pulley 40, from which a cord extends to the pulley 41 on the shaft carrying the roller 4. The knock-off wheel 10 is driven by a pulley 42 through a belt from a similar pulley 43 on the shaft of the outer pulley for the belt or apron 6.

In the operation of the machine the corks enter the successive pockets of the wheel, so shoved endwise in one direction against a stop and then carried across the face of the grinder and are then pushed in the opposite direction against a stop and similarly finished on the opposite end. The operation is entirely automatic, the attendant merely keeping the hopper supplied with corks.

The advantages of my invention result from the automatic finishing of one or both ends of the cork.

The machine is adapted for different sizes and lengths of corks, and the work is performed accurately and rapidly.

If the corks are tapered, the pockets on the wheel are correspondingly inclined. Also the guide-chute and the spring-pressers are adapted to fit the taper. Corks of different lengths may be finished on the same machine, and within certain limits corks of different diameters may be acted upon.

Many variations may be made in the form and arrangement of the feeding apparatus, the mechanism for pushing the corks endwise, and the other parts of the machine without departing from my invention, since I consider myself the first to mechanically touch up or finish both ends successively of a-cork.

I claim 1. In cork-finishing machines an endless car-' the carrier and arranged to act successively rier having peripheral recesses, mechanism for pushing the corksendwise in opposite directions insaid recesses, gages to stop the end movement of the corks and polishing-disks arranged to act upon the corks successively after the endwise movements; substantially as described. 4

3. In cork-feeding mechanism "an endless belt and a wheel having blades arranged to push the cork sidewise from said belt; substantially as described.

4. In cork-feeding apparatus an inclined chute, a belt extending past its upper end and a wheel having arms arranged to push the corks endwise from the belt into the chute; substantially as described.

5. In cork-finishing machines a wheel having peripheral recesses, a leaf-spring covering a part of its periphery and arranged to hold the corks therein and means for adjusting said spring; substantially as described.

6. In cork-finishing machinery a rotatory wheel having peripheral recesses of greater length than the corks, mechanism for pushing the cork endwise,a peripheral spring arranged to hold the corks in adjusted position and a grinding-disk arranged to finish its end; substantially as described.

7 In cork-finishing machines a wheel having peripheral recesses, means for holding the corks in the recesses and a grinding-disk set at a slightly oblique angle to the plane of the carrier-wheel; substantially as described.

8. In cork-finishing machines a wheel having peripheral recesses, means for holding the corks in the recesses, a grinding-disk set at a slightly oblique angle to the plane of the carrier-wheel and means for adjusting the angular position of said wheel; substantially as described.

9. In cork-finishing machines a wheel having peripheral recesses, means for holdingthe corks in the recesses, a grinding-disk set at a slightly oblique angle to the plane of the carrier-wheel, means for adjusting the bearings of said wheel, and means for adjusting the angle of said wheel relative to the carrier; substantially as described. 1 r

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

THOMAS S. THOMPSON. Witnesses:

GEO. B. BLEMING, JOHN MILLER. 

